1. Marie Brose Tepe Leonard, known as "French Mary," was a vivandiere of Franco-Turkish descent who fought for the Union Army during the American Civil War.
10 Facts About Marie Tepe
1. 2.
Marie Tepe's father was Turkish and her mother was French.
3.
Marie Tepe's husband enlisted in the 27th Pennsylvania Infantry as a private.
4.
Marie Tepe wanted Tepe to stay behind and run their tailor shop during his service, but Tepe enlisted herself.
5.
Marie Tepe joined the 114th on numerous campaigns, and was for the most part spared of injury.
6.
Marie Tepe was reported to be wounded in the ankle during the Battle of Fredericksburg but otherwise had good luck.
7.
At the Battle of Chancellorsville, Marie Tepe endured particularly hazardous conditions to bring water to exhausted troops.
8.
Marie Tepe was awarded the Kearny Cross for her courageous service at Chancellorsville.
9.
In 1898, a newspaper reported that Marie Tepe attempted to receive pension for her military service, yet no records indicate that she received this pension.
10.
Marie Tepe committed suicide May 24,1901 by drinking a lethal dose of "Paris Green," a kind of paint pigment.